A weblog by Jessica Ek.

January 10, 2018

Smart, stubborn and so very sweet. She loved every person she met but rarely any dog. Patient with children, wary of cardboard boxes and eager to go fishing. A more loyal, loving dog would be hard to find.

Going home tonight and not seeing her wagging tail to greet me will be one of the hardest parts of losing her.

January 09, 2018

June 12, 2016

My birthday is tomorrow and I've only posted once since my last birthday. Maybe I just need a photo site and not a blog.

What's new with me? Last year I did the Tough Mudder for my birthday; this year I tried an Escape Room. We made the leader board with one of the fastest solving times. We also had our end of season tourney day 2, several weeks late due to rain, and made it to the Finals. Today we'll spend in the garden, staking tomatoes, weeding, and warding off vine borers. I'll take pictures of garden and post; it's looking really nice. The peas have been eaten by deer, but everything else is doing nicely. We should start getting green beans soon. Tomorrow we're headed to Virginia for a picnic dinner and Flight of the Conchords concert. And then I go back to work, another year older.

April 02, 2015

March 10, 2015

In a matter of a few days we went from the biggest snowfall of the year to 60 degrees and sunny. Sitting in the greenhouse on one of the first nice days of the year makes all the frustration of installing it worth it. The lemon and lime trees are flowering. The bay tree has just about doubled in size. The olive tree has buds. And my banana plant now has 11 leaves. My tomato and pepper seedlings will have to be patient for the soil to warm up before they can go out to the garden in another month or two.

What else is going on? Loki has enjoyed the snow, as have I. I've been working on creating this Hobbes doll. We went to New York to see Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, #JeffWeCan. We're looking forward to the ultimate frisbee season starting up again soon. And Loki is looking forward to fishing in the Bay again.

I'm also working on planning our next trip, which will be a driving tour of Scotland and Northern England. We'll stay in a castle in Scotland, take falconry lessons, stay at an 18th century pub in York, walk along a Roman Road in the Moors, hike part of Hadrian's Wall, explore ruined abbeys, and have all sorts of adventures tooling around the countryside in a Fiat 500. If anyone has ideas on what we should see, we're open to suggestions! Apart from a few days in Edinburgh, I've never been up that way before.

November 27, 2014

Everyday, I walk by people asking for money. I usually pass by, feeling guilty. I've heard not to give money to panhandlers, but when I have so much, how can I just walk by those with so little? So I went to Target and pulled together some things that they might like. Socks, hand warmers, tissues, chapstick, granola bars, gum, etc. I put these items in bags and will be giving them out. Hopefully that will make their holiday season a little bit better. :) Another good idea from Reddit. I'm also looking forward to their Secret Santa, which starts next week.

November 13, 2014

With just some sweet potato, ricotta cheese, and flour, we made some pasta and served it with a sage brown butter sauce. They're a decent amount of work, but delicious. They're like little pillows of pasta.

November 05, 2014

Chris and I have been together for ten years now. That's crazy to think about. I can't imagine what the last decade would have been like without him. Sometimes you just get so lucky. Here's to many more years with us side by side.

November 03, 2014

It's been a long time since I last posted. The garden grew and then died back with the frost. The carrots, onions, garlic, and spinach are under cold frames now and the little space heater is back in the greenhouse. The end of season frisbee tournament was last weekend. And then I think the next gourmet club theme will be fondue or food cooked with squash. I realize I never posted the link to my summer vacation pictures on here. Sorry about that. Here they are. And now it's time for the end game to 2015. 2014 has been a bit bumpy. I'm looking forward to starting anew.

May 08, 2014

Peas are better than roses, right? Roses are pretty, but they don't taste that good and they're thorny. Strawberries are also way better and will be here in just a few short weeks. Everything is behind schedule this year. We just put the garden in. Here's hoping for a good season!

The tidal basin was crowded today but the trees were gorgeous. We took an early morning walk to see the peak bloom. Yesterday, we had a frisbee game and worked in the garden. Not a bad way to spend a beautiful weekend.

April 04, 2014

The first batch of peas didn't sprout, but the second batch is now in the garden. The potatoes have now been planted and the dog hasn't dug them up to play with them yet. The spinach, mustard, and carrots are doing well and we've been harvesting spinach for salad. We planted rhubarb but some animal has eaten it, so I don't know if it will make it. I'm ready for some warm weather. We've had enough snow for now.

April 01, 2014

February 18, 2014

There are seedlings in my window once again. They're poking their first leaves above the surface and stretching up toward the grow light. I love it. The lemon and lime trees are blooming in the greenhouse and smell heavenly. All the green living things inside provide stark contrast to the icy, snowy outdoors.

Channa masala is bubbling on the stove. The dog is napping upstairs, on the bed. I just finished a day of working at home. Apart from the cold I'm coming down with, today has been a nice day.

Besides the seedlings, I have my projects. I'm planning our next adventure and trying to learn several languages to prepare for it. And I have done at least some cardio and strength training every day thus far in 2014 to prepare for the spring Ultimate season. It should be a fun season. Chris is even going to help me with sprint training once the snow melts.